


you rushed to me (and it sets us free)

by gaypanic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff, Gay Panic, Halloween, Haunted House, LITERALLY, regina is a gay mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 23:59:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16753963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaypanic/pseuds/gaypanic
Summary: When a psych professor gives a lecture on norepinephrine and dopamine, and Regina spends half the time thinking about Emma, Kathryn only has one plan. Get the two of them into a spooky situation together and let chemistry work it’s magic. Literally.or,The one where Emma and Regina fall in love in a haunted house.





	you rushed to me (and it sets us free)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parrillayeah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parrillayeah/gifts).



> so i kNOW halloween was almost a month ago, but i hope you can forgive me. pls enjoy this halloween themed fic, prompted to me by one of my favorite humans. thanks to laura for beta-ing, you are also one of my favorites.
> 
> the title from ‘geronimo’ by sheppard

Regina’s always been raised to believe that Halloween was a waste of time. 

 

If you know Cora Mills, you probably don’t need an explanation as to why, and neither did Regina. Not until high school anyway, when she was invited to countless parties and got odd looks when she responded, not only  _ in _ the negative, but  _ negative _ . Negative about Halloween.

 

It was stupid, she thought, that  _ everyone else _ thought her dislike of Halloween was stupid. At least until Kathryn pointed it out to her sophomore year that her aversion to the holiday wasn’t made of her own volition but  _ inherited _ from her mother.

 

That made Regina scowl. “ _ Fine _ , we can go to the stupid Halloween party.”

 

So they went. She dressed up as a cat (“a  _ sexy _ cat,” came Kathryn’s correction), and made an effort—she really did.

 

She managed to drink a whole cup of the Halloween punch. She ate one of those cheap cookies covered in orange frosting. She danced with Graham from third period biology. 

 

But the second he pulled her closer, and she started to reciprocate the kiss, he thought it was fine to stick his tongue down her throat. Some guys nearby cheered until she shoved him off.

 

So yeah. It turns out Regina Mills doesn’t care for Halloween either.

 

It’s not a big deal.

 

Until three years later when it is.

 

“Come  _ on _ , Regina,” Kathryn whines before class starts one morning. “Halloween is fun! One bad kiss shouldn’t ruin your life’s perspective on it.”

 

Regina scoffs. “That wasn’t the only reason. That punch was repulsive.”

 

“It was spiked, you know.”

 

“With what? Bottom shelf vodka?” Kathryn opens her mouth to argue, but Regina holds up a hand to stop her. “I just don’t enjoy Halloween. I don’t want to go to another party, and I don’t want to dress up.”

 

Kathryn’s shoulders fall into a slump, her lip sticking out into a pout as she leans back in her seat dejectedly. “It’s literally the best holiday.”

 

“It isn’t  _ literally _ anything,” Regina points out. “Your roommate is such a bad influence on you.”

 

That gets Kathryn’s attention. The blonde sits back up in her chair leaning back over, her eyes wide with the kind of excitement that makes Regina wish she hadn’t said anything at all. She cowers back from her friend’s thrilled expression, trying (and failing) to hide behind her own hand. Kathryn just swats it down.

 

“ _ Speaking of Emma _ ,” she starts, a suspicious grin on her face. “She asked about you this morning.”

 

“What?” Regina asks, practically  _ squeaks _ , all attempts to hide from her classmate forgotten at the prospect that Emma brought her up in conversation. Kathryn laughs at her, but it doesn’t erase the completely hopeless look off the brunette’s face.

 

“You are so ruined,” Kathryn says, continuing to chuckle to herself.

 

“Why? What’d she say? Is it bad?”

 

It takes a large snort and more laughter from Kathryn until Regina realizes that Emma hadn’t asked about her at all. Her arms cross over her chest as she faces forward, refusing to so much as look at her best friend. “Aw, come on. You should have seen your face.”

 

“You’re unbelievable,” Regina says.

 

Kathryn ignores her with a shrug. “You  _ looove _ her. I can tell.”

 

“I can’t stand her,” Regina retorts. “Or  _ you _ for that matter.”

 

The blonde is about to respond when their professor sweeps into the hall with his typical introduction, silencing everyone in the room. Kathryn gives her friend a pointed look before pulling her notebook out to prepare for the lecture.

 

Usually, Regina is one to pay attention in class. Especially  _ this _ class, because it’s PSYC 101, and as her last exam told her, this really isn’t her kind of science. But today, her thoughts are stuck on one topic in particular, and it  _ isn’t _ psychology.

 

It takes her too long to actually start listening to the professor, and when she finally tunes back in, it’s right in time to hear the words:  “That’s something your body releases when you’re attracted to someone.”

 

She almost chokes on her own saliva before shooting Kathryn an alarmed look. Her friend just looks amused. “You were thinking about Emma again, weren’t you?” 

 

“No…” Regina sputters back in a whisper. She’ll deny it to her grave if she has to.

 

Which is appropriate because her professor is now talking about...  _ Halloween? _

 

Putting all distaste for the holiday aside, she perks up, suddenly curious as to how this connects to  _ attraction _ . Eventually it all makes sense. 

 

“So you all know what a fight-or-flight response is?” There’s a series of hums from the classroom, a few nods of the head. The professor smiles before continuing. “Norepinephrine is a key factor in triggering that response when you’re afraid or under stress. Now, some physiological symptoms you may experience in moments like these include an increase in heart rate, sweating, flushing of the skin, chills, and even butterflies. Do these symptoms sound familiar?”

 

The class is mostly silent, and the professor laughs.

 

“C’mon guys. You’re college students. I  _ know _ you know this. That person sitting behind you in a class, the one you see at your extracurricular… maybe even your best friend’s roommate.” Regina blushes deeply, hoping no one notices. “Attraction. Right?”

 

The class mumbles in approval again.

 

“So our bodies react similarly to attraction as they do to fear. Anyone want to guess why?”

 

To Regina’s horror, Kathryn raises her hand. The professor points to her with a wide smile. “Norepinephrine is released when you experience attraction too?”

 

“Exactly,” the professor confirms. “Norepinephrine and dopamine are the chemicals released at attraction. So if you’re in a fearful, intense situation, your body will experience the typical symptoms of fear, but your brain doesn’t always get it right. As it happens, your brain might just confuse your fear with attraction, especially if you’re with someone.”

 

There’s some chatter around the classroom and the professor chuckles. Kathryn isn’t one of them. Instead, she’s staring at Regina with a look on her face that makes the brunette nervous. Before she can question it, the professor continues.

 

“This is a perfect lecture for Halloween because there are a lot of opportunities to see this phenomena at work. We’ll pick up where we left off next week, but this weekend just keep in mind that if you want them to like you,  _ don’t _ let them go into the haunted house with your buddy.” 

 

The chatter around the room picks up after he dismisses the class, and Regina does everything in her power to ignore Kathryn, who hasn’t moved since she turned to face her. Eventually it becomes impossible.

 

She turns to ask what her deal is, but as soon as her glare meets Kathryn’s wide and excited eyes, the blonde says, “I know what you’re gonna say—( _ “Then don’t say it,” _ Regina tries)—but hear me out.” 

 

A beat passes before Kathryn continues, her smile only growing bigger and more suspicious.

 

“ _ What if _ ,” she starts, bouncing in her seat, “we plan to do something  _ spooky _ this year. We can invite some of our friends! You know, me… you… Tink… Ruby… Mulan…” She continues listing off all their possibile invitees, and Regina remains unphased. Until: “ _ Emma _ ….”

 

“Emma?” she asks, perking up. “Fuck,” she mumbles to herself at being too obvious. But it’s too late. Kathryn doesn’t miss anything, much less Regina’s gay panic.

 

“So it’s a yes?”

 

“... No,” Regina tries to lie. Kathryn’s smile only grows. “Ugh, stop that.”

 

“Regina! Come on! It’ll be scary, and you can just stay right by Emma’s side. She’ll get scared and all her norepinephrine and dopamine will be released, which will be  _ perfect _ because you’ll be the knight in shining armor there by her side.” At Regina’s raised brow, Kathryn rolls her eyes. “Not  _ literally _ . You don’t even have to wear a costume if you don’t want to.”

 

“Look, it’s a… perfectly fine idea. Except that we don’t have anything ‘ _ spooky _ ’ to do, do we?” The blonde levels her with a look that makes Regina feel as though she’s missed the obvious. With a furrowed brow, she pauses.

 

Kathryn laughs once, “Don’t tell me you forgot about Zelena’s haunted house.”

 

“No. No way. Absolutely not.” Regina shakes her head, further exhibiting her opinion on the matter. No doubt her sister would ruin everything.  _ Somehow _ . She won’t go to Zelena’s haunted house, Emma or not.

 

**.**

**.**

**.**

 

“This is such a great idea! I’m in!” 

 

“You are?” Regina blurts out from Kathryn’s desk chair, completely failing to hold back her smile as she meets Emma’s eyes across the room.

 

“Of course,” Emma chuckles. “I  _ love _ Halloween!”

 

“Me too,” Regina rapidly responds. Kathryn snorts in disbelief.  _ God _ ,  _ what is my problem _ ? Regina asks herself. 

 

Her answer comes in the form of shining green eyes, accompanied by an even bigger grin. “Great. Are you dressing up?”

 

“I…” the brunette starts, realizing that if Emma  _ loves _ Halloween (and thinks Regina does, as well), it  _ would _ be in her best interest to dress up; however, she has no costume. She’s about to redirect the question to buy her some time when there’s a knock on the door, promptly followed by it just being pushed open.

 

Tink squeals as she runs into the room and dives onto Emma’s bed, bringing the other blonde down with her. “What the hell?” Emma questions through a fit of giggles. “What’s got you so excited?”

 

Regina watches, her jaw tightening more with every movement, as Tink sits up, pulls Emma with her, and playfully bumps their shoulders together. “The haunted house, silly.” The brunette shoots a glare to Kathryn, whose eyes are on her phone in front of her. It’s another moment before Regina’s roommate notices her. “You’re coming too, right, Regina? I mean, I know you don’t like Halloween, but…”

 

So much for that.

 

Emma quirks a brow in her direction, and Regina starts to stammer. “I mean— it’s not that I _don’t like_ _it_ per se, it’s just that I… you see, my mother… I just— What I mean to say is that I haven’t had a good chance to...celebrate it.” 

 

The silence in the room drags for what, to Regina, seem like forever, but it couldn’t have lasted for more than thirty seconds before Tink laughs. “I missed something, didn’t I?” It’s awkward.

 

The whole moment is awkward.

 

Regina can’t bear to meet anyone’s gaze until it all passes. Fortunately (or maybe  _ un _ fortunately), Kathryn snorts. “Regina’s just…  _ Regina _ ,” she explains with a wave of her hand. 

 

The brunette blushes deeply and makes the executive decision to tune out whatever conversation her two friends have launched into, likely about her. She glances up once before turning back to her homework spread atop Kathryn’s desk, and her eyes lock with Emma’s. It only lasts a moment before Emma looks down at her hands in her lap, but it’s long enough for Regina to see the light pink tinting her cheeks and the smile etched on her face.

 

Regina turns back to her homework with a similar smile.

 

Her concentration comes to a halt not much later at the sound of Emma’s laugh. “Tink, I am  _ not _ dressing up as a fairy with you.”

 

“Not just any fairy! A  _ sexy _ fairy,” Tink corrects. “You know that’s how Halloween works in college.” Regina releases a silent huff, her eyes darting to where the two girls sit side-by-side on the bed, to Kathryn, lost in her book.

 

The other girl laughs again. “Ask someone else to be your sexy fairy. I’ve already got my costume.”

 

“Let me guess… a sexy cat?” Emma shakes her head. “A sexy cop?” Another headshake. “Oh, I know! You’re gonna be a sexy pirate?” 

 

Emma’s face contorts and she leans back in offense. “Ugh, no! I hate pirates.”

 

“Too bad. You could have been the Captain Hook to my Tinkerbell,” she responds with a wink.

 

Regina scowls at the same time as Emma groans. “Just for that, I’m never dressing up with you  _ ever _ . Everyone knows he’s the  _ worst _ . Anyway,” she says, rolling her head to look at the other two girls. Regina looks away before they can make eye contact again. “What are you dressing up as Kathryn?”

 

“You can be my sexy fairy, since Emma won’t be.”

 

Kathryn lights up, immediately affirming that she  _ is _ in fact going to dress up as a sexy fairy alongside Tink. “So now that that’s settled, we need to figure out what  _ you’re _ going as,” she says with a pointed glance at Regina. “Maybe since me and Tink are collaborating, you can match with Emma.” 

 

It sounds innocent enough, even if Regina knows it’s really anything but. She’s about to find some way to wave it off, not wanting Emma to feel pressured, but before she can the blonde in question lights up. “Yeah! I actually have something you can wear, if you’re interested. It’s up to you.”

 

“So it’s settled then!” Kathryn sends a subtle wink to Regina, looking far too thrilled.

 

Regina, on the other hand, is an absolute mess.

 

**.**

**.**

**.**

 

So, Regina scored Emma’s number. 

 

Or, at least, that’s how she says it in her head. What actually happened was that Regina had to leave Kathryn and Emma’s room to go to her next class, and she was already in the hallway when the door opened again behind her. 

 

“Wait!” Emma called out. Regina spun on the spot, taking a few brisk paces back to her, kicking herself in retrospect for probably looking too eager. “Uh…” Emma started, tucking a strand of that beautiful blonde hair behind her ear. Regina nearly swooned on the spot. “Since I’m loaning you a costume, I was gonna say we should get ready for the haunted house together?”

 

She shifted nervously on her feet, suddenly looking away like it was a bad idea. Regina realized pretty quickly it might have had something to do with the way she was just  _ standing there _ , staring at Emma. She didn’t know what was showing on her face, but hopefully it wasn’t anything like what she was feeling inside. Dopamine, she reminded herself. 

 

“Yeah, of course!” she finally responded, not missing the way Emma’s mouth immediately broke into the cutest grin she’d ever seen.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Absolutely,” Regina smiled back before pulling her phone from her back pocket. “If you want, you could, um… put your number in my phone? And I’ll text you so you have mine?” She sounded so unsure of herself, but really, she had never  _ felt  _ more sure of anything.

 

Emma looked sheepish as she took the phone and typed her number in before handing it back to Regina. She opened her mouth like he was going to say something, but ended up just smiling silently. Regina had never seen anything so incredible in her life, and all she could do was smile back.

 

Eventually the silence became a little awkward, and Emma cleared her throat. “You should probably get to class. I’m sorry for holding you up.”

 

“No! No, it’s okay. The building is basically right next to the dorm,” she said, knowing it was all the way across campus. 

 

“Good,” Emma said, stepping back to the door. “I can’t wait to hear from you.”

 

Regina didn’t know if she meant it, but her heart was soaring nonetheless.

 

Now, she’s sitting in her last class before the weekend, one she incidentally shares with Kathryn, texting Emma under the table. “You’re gonna miss the whole class.”

 

Regina shakes her head. “I’m not missing anything. I’m right here.”

 

She can’t see the other girl roll her eyes, but she knows it’s happening. “That’s not what I meant. What are you two talking about, anyway?”

 

At that, Regina looks up. “How do you know who I’m texting?”

 

“ _ Please _ , I already know how you feel about both Emma  _ and _ texting in class. Not hard to figure out. Besides, when she came back into the room after chasing you out the door, she was practically a zombie. The smiling kind.”

 

“She has a beautiful smile.”

 

“What?” Kathryn asks, a smirk growing on her face that let’s Regina know she doesn’t need to repeat herself.

 

The brunette shakes her head. “Emma’s telling me about her favorite TV shows.”

 

Kathryn snorts, “You don’t even  _ like _ TV.”

 

“No, but I like Emma.”

 

It’s by far the mushiest and gayest thing she’s ever said, and it’s clear Kathryn agrees, the way she softens at the response. “Okay, so what are you going to tell her when she says  _ ‘what about you? what shows do you like _ ?’” Kathryn asks her with a pointed glance.

 

Regina shrugs, “I’ll just say I don’t have any favorites and ask her to show me hers sometime?”

 

“Ooh,” Kathryn whispers. “Where is this game coming from?”

 

Regina blushes. “I don’t know. But I hope it’ll still be around for the haunted house tomorrow.”

 

“It will be,” Kathryn smirks.

 

“How do you know?”

  
“Because you like Emma.”

 

**.**

**.**

**.**

 

Regina texts Emma all night until she falls asleep, and she wakes up to Emma’s final message of the night:  _ sweet dreams, regina. text me tomorrow when you wanna come over and get ready :) _

 

She wakes up with a smile on her face, and it stays there until she’s making her way to Emma and Kathryn’s dorm room. Before she can text Emma that she’s outside, the front door opens to reveal Kathryn, looking suspicious as ever.

 

“Regina!” her friend smiles. She waves the brunette into the dormitory, holding the door open with her back. “I’m heading to get ready with Tink, but I thought I’d let you in first. Perfect timing, right?”

 

“Uh,” Regina clears her throat. Before now, she had been moderately nervous about everything that was going to happen tonight, but for some reason, knowing she was going to be alone with Emma changed everything. “Of course.” She laughs it off, but Kathryn doesn’t look convinced.

 

“Don’t be nervous. Remember. You’ve got game. It’s the same as texting, except you’re face-to-face.”

 

“That’s not the same at all…”

 

“You’ll be fine!” Kathryn says, nudging Regina through the door. “See you tonight!”

 

The brunette’s mouth is dry as she smiles at the desk hosts before walking around to the elevator and heading up to the fifth floor. As she walks down the hallway, she tries boosting her confidence by giving herself a pep talk (not out loud, of course), but by the time she’s standing outside Emma’s room, she can already imagine herself completely blowing this. 

 

She knocks before she can second guess herself any further.

 

As predicted, she’s speechless when Emma opens the door, but it isn’t because of nerves.

 

It’s because Emma is dressed in a technicolor unicorn onesie, beaming at Regina as if this is the first time she’s presenting herself in her natural form, her arms raised in excitement as she shouts Regina’s name. “You’re here!”

 

“I am here,” Regina chuckles. “And  _ you’re _ a unicorn.”

 

“You like it?” Emma asks, showing off the rainbow tail. “It’s the best of everything because it counts as a costume,  _ and  _ it’s super comfy. Not to mention all the rainbows.”

 

“Rainbows?” Regina breathlessly asks, wondering if Emma’s thinking the same thing she is right now, about symbolism and metaphors and other gay things.

 

“Rainbows,” Emma repeats, a light pink flushing across her cheeks. “So, uh. I have one for you too. It isn’t a unicorn, but i still think you’re going to like it. It’s a little more… refined?” Emma says as she shuffles through her closet before pulling out another onesie. This one black and white.

 

Regina snorts. “I’m not sure I would use the word  _ refined _ to describe a panda  _ or  _ a panda onesie, but I like it.” 

 

“Really?” Emma squeaks. 

 

“Really.”

 

“Good,” the blonde says, seeming to relax. “I was a little worried you would hate it. Just because you don’t seem like the onesie type…” (“I’m not,” Regina chuckles.) “... _but_ I also think it would be cute. You in a onesie, I mean.” 

 

“Thanks,” Regina responds, her voice soft. 

 

Emma passes her the garment, before turning away. “Um, if you’d rather me leave the room altogether while you change, just let me know. Otherwise, I’m just gonna…” she gestures vaguely to the corner of the room her bed is in, and Regina blinks until Emma elaborates. “Hide my face really good?”

 

Regina laughs, “Okay, that’s fine.” She’s fortunate that Emma isn’t looking at her to see the  _ completely ridiculous _ grin spread across her face as she watches the blonde curl herself into a tight ball, face first on the mattress and turned away from the brunette.

 

There’s a muffled voice that sounds like it’s saying something like ‘ _ okay good to go’ _ as Emma sticks out a thumbs up for Regina that looks more like a thumbs  _ sideways _ , and only seconds later, she makes quick work of stripping and sliding on the onesie. It’s incredibly soft, and it  _ smells like Emma _ , which Regina definitely does  _ not _ notice.

 

After she folds her clothes, she hovers awkwardly round the room before clearing her throat. Emma doesn’t react. “Emma?” she asks, taking a few steps towards her, waiting another moment before gently resting her hand on the blonde’s back.

 

Thankfully, the other girl doesn’t jump, but instead, she peeks out from past the onesie’s hood and her hair to make sure the coast is clear. When her eyes catches the black sleeve of Regina’s new costume, Emma leaps up, beaming as she takes Regina’s onesied form in. “I was right!” She announces.

 

At that, Regina’s heart stutters, and so does she. “You- you were right? About?”

 

“Yeah… about the onesie fitting,” Emma lies horribly. 

 

Regina eggs her on. “Does it look bad?” All Emma can do is shake her head and smile. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”

 

“Thanks,” Emma mumbles. “Do you know where we’re all supposed to meet up? Or when?”

 

“Dinner in the dining hall in about ten minutes,” Regina offers, checking her watch. We can head over there now if you’d like?” 

 

“Yeah, sure. That’s good. Uh, you can leave your clothes here if you want to. We can figure that out later.”

 

Even just the word  _ later _ has Regina’s heart pounding.

 

**.**

**.**

**.**

 

Dinner is uneventful, short of all the students dressed in their Halloween costumes in the crowded cafeteria. Kathryn and Tink are dressed as  _ sexy fairies _ (because Tink won’t let them get away with just saying fairies). Belle is dressed as a corpse bride (“a  _ sexy _ corpse bride,” Tink corrects), Ruby is dressed as a vampire (“a  _ sexy _ vampire,” Tink corrects), Mulan is dressed as Wonder Woman (“Nothing to amend there,” Tink says with a wink), and Jefferson dresses in his everyday clothes, claiming to be dressed as  _ the Jefferson of tomorrow _ . When Tink asks why, he just says, “As long as I wake up in these clothes, my costume will be accurate.”

 

When Tink sees Emma and Regina’s costumes, she raises both eyebrows as high as she can. “Seriously?”

 

“What, am I not a  _ sexy _ unicorn?” Emma laughs as she knocks her hip into Tink’s. 

 

The other girl rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You are. But only because it’s true, not because your costume says so. Neither of yours do. Where’s your Halloween spirit?”

 

“Well, I never had any,” Regina blurts out with a laugh. “And Emma looks cute, so I think she has a good excuse.” When seven pairs of eyes turn to her, Regina’s lips part slightly in a gasp and she takes a step back as if it’s going to help her. She hadn’t really  _ meant _ to be so blunt  _ or _ say any of that outloud, but now that she has… “I mean… Halloween doesn’t have to be  _ slutty _ . People can have morals, you know.” 

 

Something unreadable flashes across Tink’s face, and Regina looks to Kathryn for help across the table. She rolls her eyes, but helps nonetheless, nudging Tink with her elbow. “She’s just nervous. She didn’t mean it like  _ that _ .”

 

“What does she have to be nervous about?” the other girl asks, glancing between Kathryn, Regina, and finally Emma. The brunette feels another spark of jealousy. Kathryn pulls Tink over and starts whispering in her ear, discreet for the first time in what is probably forever. Emma gives Regina a shy smile from beside her, and for a moment, nothing else matters.

 

Overall, the incident with Tink was the only  _ eventful _ thing to happen at dinner. They ended up more or less on the same page, but even after that, she had pulled Emma aside as if she was going to tell her to stay away from Regina. But since Emma appeared at her side not long after that, she thinks it all must have gone okay.

 

“Chill out,” Kathryn whispers at her as they finally head toward the haunted house. Regina moves away, shocked. She can’t  _ imagine _ what the blonde could be referring to. Kathryn snorts. “You’re acting like a jealous asshole. How would you feel if Emma was at my throat the same way you’re at Tink’s?”

 

Regina scoffs before she murmurs. “I’m a lesbian, not Michael Myers.” Kathryn’s eyes widen. “ _ Yes _ , I know those movies. I may not care for the holiday, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the movies.”

 

“Okay, well,  _ fine _ . But you need to stop acting so weird.”

 

“Why? Do you think she won’t like me? What if she doesn’t already?”

 

“Oh my god, Regina, stop! She likes you just fine. Just… when we get over there, relax and have a good time, okay? Everything will work out,” she reassures her as the haunted house finally appears before them. “Norepinephrine, remember? It’s all chemistry.”

 

“Literally…”

 

“Right,” Kathryn says with a sturdy pat on Regina’s back. “Just remember what Dr. Miller told us in class earlier. “If you want them to like you…” 

 

Regina sighs: “ _... _ don’t  _ let them go into the haunted house with your buddy _ . I know. I think I can manage that.” She claps her hands together, ready to dive head first into trying to win over the girl of her dreams in a place of everyone’s nightmares. It only takes one glance around before: “Wait. Where  _ is _ Emma anyway?”

 

Kathryn points forward, where Emma is about to set foot in the haunted house with  _ Tink _ instead of  _ her _ . Fortunately, Regina’s obnoxious older sister is working the ticket stand, currently helping Emma. She subtly heads over, using her blood relation to cut in line, bringing the rest of her friends with her. 

 

“Hey,” Regina hisses at her sister. 

 

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.” She eyes Tink and gives her a once over. “Or should I say fairy. Where’s the cat?” she asks as her brows furrow. “I was promised pussy.”

 

“Zelena!” Regina scolds, and the redhead rolls her eyes. Emma laughs at the whole exchange, much to Regina’s horror. People seem to think the real terror of this year’s Halloween are the monsters, but Regina happens to know it’s actually Zelena.

 

“Oh, hush. You’re happy to see me here, and you know it. Don’t think I missed seeing you cut in line.”

 

“You cut in line?” Emma asks, a surprised and somewhat impressed look on her face, and Regina loses any and all responses she could have come up with. She ends up blushing a deep red and trying to hide it from both Emma and Zelena. 

 

But of course, nothing gets past her sister. “ _ Oh _ , I see. Alright, so the gay unicorn is  _ your _ date, where’s mine?” Regina sputters for a moment, blushing harder. Fortunately someone from further back in the line yells out a complaint (“ _ what’s taking so long?” _ ), which makes Zelena shout back at him, give him the finger and then shrug at everyone else in line. “I need to get ready soon anyways. I’m just waiting for that idiot Walsh to come and take over selling tickets.”

 

“Is that why your skin is…  _ green _ ?” Zelena just smirks. “Do I want to know what you’re getting ready for?” Regina asks, half wary, half exasperated.

 

“No. But you’re going to find out eventually if you’re going in there,” she says, nodding at the house. “You are, right?”

 

Regina squints. “Why would I be standing here if I wasn’t going to buy a ticket?”

 

“Because your girlfriend already bought one for you.” And with that, Zelena is gone.

 

The brunette turns to Emma, her face feeling like it’s on fire despite the cool temperature in the air. “Uh, sorry about her. She’s my older sister. She thinks it’s her job to embarrass me,” she explains with a weak laugh. “And by extension… you.”

 

Emma grins back at her, “That’s okay. I’m not embarrassed.” They pause for a moment after that, Regina at a loss for words, and Emma likely in a similar position. She’s sure they would be stuck staring at each other like this for forever (though, she wouldn’t mind), but then Zelena’s replacement tells them to move it along in a bored voice. 

 

The group of friends is ushered to the start of the haunted house, and they all walk in together, the door closing behind them. “We’re sending people through in groups, so make sure you stick together,” another haunted house volunteer says before she points them in the direction of a long hallway. She slips behind a curtain to their left, and Kathryn shivers. 

 

“It’s dark in here.”

 

“It’s a  _ haunted house _ ,” Jefferson says as he starts to walk into the darkness of the hallway.

 

“Well, we know who’s not getting scared first,” Tink laughs as she follows him. “I say whoever chickens out first has to find us some shots. Buy the first round, so to speak.”

 

“Deal. Alright, so are we going or what?” Ruby asks, taking Belle’s hand and following behind the others. Regina hesitantly follows along, making sure to stay close to Emma. Their hands brush together just slightly as they walk, but neither of them pull away, and when it happens again, the brunette wonders if it was intentional, or maybe if she should take Emma’s hand. She doesn’t have to wonder long, because as soon as they reach the end of the hallway and move into a bigger space, a door slams shut behind them. 

 

They’re in pitch black darkness for a handful of seconds before there’s suddenly a burst of light before the room settles into an eerie green glow. The room is silent until an shrill sound erupts, bouncing off the walls and triggering resounding screeches. Regina grabs Emma’s hand without even thinking about it.

 

The room is full of what looks like distorted monkeys or some kind of humanoid creatures, thrashing about the room and making that same screeching noise they had started with. They circle the group, bringing them closer and closer together until they’re packed too tightly to even move around in their tight pack. 

 

The creatures finally disperse at the sound of a loud and disruptive cackle, surely meant to send a shiver of fear down anyone’s spine, but Regina would recognize that noise anywhere. Letting go of Emma’s hand, she turns with her arms crossed towards her sister. “You’re not scary, Zelena.”

 

“You’re right,” Jefferson says from somewhere to her left, but no one else protests, too distracted by the thick fog slowly filling the room. 

 

The redhead clears her throat loudly before announcing, “Who is this  _ Zelena  _ you speak of? I am the Wicked Witch! I run science experiments to create a breed terrifying enough to spook just about anyone, powerful enough to help me to take over the world!” She cackles again, and Regina is about to snort, when suddenly Emma laces their fingers back together and pulls her even closer.

 

“Do you see that?” Emma gulps.

 

Regina follows her line of sight until she spots a operating table in the corner, and what looks like a doctor sawing off the arm of whatever is on the table, and picking up another body part with a maniacal laugh. “On this night, the night of the full moon, my creatures will be brought back to new life, ready to help my master take over this sorry planet!” 

 

The guy’s acting is subpar, but the patient resting on the table under a blanket, lets out a cry so piercing, it gives Regina goosebumps. “Come on,” she tells Emma, trying to remind herself this whole thing is her sister’s doing, and if this room is only borderline creepy, the rest will likely be the same.

 

“Well, that was certainly something,” Belle says, starting to sound a little nervous. Most of them give half-hearted shrugs once they’re on to the next section of the house. Regina is still convinced they couldn’t be any scarier than that last room if Zelena planned the rest of the house, but a part of her is still sure her rational thoughts are affected by Emma’s hand, still in hers.

 

If she thought the next room would be less scary than the one her sister chose to take part in, she was absolutely wrong; and she knows it from the minute that door closes behind them, slamming same as the last one, only this one sounds heavier. 

 

“Wait, what happened to Mulan?” Ruby suddenly asks, distracting everyone from their environment, at least momentarily, until Kathryn almost trips on a tarp sprawled across the floor. Tink pulls her over in time to avoid it, but it doesn’t seem to help anyone once they glance down at the tarp, splattered with what everyone knows deep down is fake blood, but fears that it may not be.

 

They move around the room, through a set of shredded plastic drapes into a space filled with scarce lighting. The lights burn red, and it leaves a sick and unsettled feeling in the pit of Regina’s stomach, and she scoots closer to Emma, almost jumping into her arms when something falls from the ceiling, swinging on a chain and almost knocks Kathryn to the ground. 

 

The other girl lunges forward, and Regina pulls back in response, almost running them into another mysterious object hanging from the ceiling. It looks suspiciously close to a human leg, but Regina just thinks over and over to herself that it’s just a rubber prop. _ It’s just rubber _ . 

 

The rest of their group is privy to the same surprises, shocked by another fake part falling from the ceiling in the middle of the dimly lit room and being shocked into another part until everyone is backed through another set of hanging plastic drapes. Jefferson swallows loudly, ready to lead their group to safety with his bold proclamation of, “I’m not afraid of anything” before there’s a sudden rattling of a cage behind them, mixed with a moaned scream, and the group scrambles back the way they came from, surprised to see that there had been creatures (or people disguised as creatures) caged up the entire time, now shaking the bars like crazy, threatening to escape.

 

Emma is the first to bolt for the door, pulling Regina closely behind her until the brunette nearly trips on the too-long footies of the onesie and ends up toppling into Emma’s arms just on the side of the door. The blonde grips her arms tightly. “I’ll protect you,” she says, so quiet that Regina isn’t even sure it was real. 

 

“You’re not scared?” 

 

“I…” Emma starts, looking paler by the second, but nonetheless determined, and Regina moves closer to her, thinking about how badly she wants to kiss the blonde right now in the middle of this haunted house and how Dr. Miller had absolutely  _ not _ been joking around about this norepinephrine thing, but before she can, the look of panic in Emma’s eyes shifts from what might have been general nerves to something that looks exactly like fear as she peers over Regina’s shoulder. 

 

She swallows hard. “What is it?”

 

“There’s a vampire behind you.”

 

Regina almost laughs, remembering Ruby’s costume, but when she hears a frantic scuffle to her right and turns to see Ruby and Belle bolting through the room, she freezes. “Are you sure?” she whispers, and the blonde responds with a slow nod.

 

“Positive. I think we should go.”

 

They move the second Regina feels something (or someone) grip her shoulder. They dart through the room, hand in hand, really disoriented by the way the spot lamps only illuminate only so much space at a time. It’s creepy enough when they’re still, but even worse when they’re moving back and forth, highlighting each bit of the room long enough to see a vampire stepping out of a coffin, or what looks like a zombie pulling itself out of the ground.

 

Regina tries to find her way out, but keeps leading them the wrong direction, getting trapped against a set of bars where a zombie is waiting for them, groaning as it reaches through its prison or gnaws on what looks like someone’s lost arm. 

 

“I can’t find Tink!” Kathryn shouts, pulling Regina away from the caged barrier she’d just walked into and instead toward a door, only slightly illuminated on the other side. Regina keeps a tight grip on Emma’s hand, long after they’ve made it through and head down the hallway toward the next room. The other door hasn’t been opened yet, so there’s nothing but darkness around them, and they can hear the screams of people from both sides of the hallway.

 

Regina has both her arms wrapped around Emma’s waist, and a part of her is thinking about how weird this must be, and how she needs to let go just in case Emma wants to be left alone, but she can’t seem to loosen her grip on the other girl, so she doesn’t. 

 

It helps when the blonde tightens her hold around Regina, but it doesn’t help when she suddenly asks, “Did you say Tink was missing?”

 

“Yeah,” Kathryn nods. “And I don’t remember Mulan being in that last room….”

 

“Who all is here?” Jefferson asks. Kathryn confirms, shortly followed by Emma and Regina. “So half of us are missing,” Jefferson states. “Cool cool cool coolcoolcool cool.”

 

“I thought you weren’t scared of anything,” Emma points out, nudging his side. 

 

“Oh, I’m not. It’s just good to know your odds when you’re in a haunted house. It seems at least one of us goes missing each section. I want to say they’re completely safe, but also that human flesh looked incredibly realistic, and I think I saw one of Tink’s fairy bracelets on that one arm back there.”

 

“Are you serious?” Kathryn hisses at him. 

 

Before he can say anything, the door down the hallways flies open, and someone nudges Regina towards it. “No way,” she says. “Are you kidding me? I’m not going in there first!”

 

“It’s okay, baby, I’ve got your back.”

 

Regina’s eyes shift to Emma’s immediately, seeking them out in the inconsistent lighting. She thinks the blonde is blushing. “Wait, did you just call me baby?”

 

Instead of answering, Emma tugs her towards the door. Regina can feel Kathryn clinging to the hood of her panda onesie, and she almost wishes she’d still had the hood on. It had made her feel safe. Somewhere along the way, she’d thought clear peripheral vision would keep her more alert in the haunted house, but now that she’s here, awareness is the last thing she wants. She would much rather be curled up in these onesies in her dorm room with the hood up, tucked snugly into Emma’s arms.

 

But she’ll take what she can get, and right now what she can get is clinging to Emma as the blonde clings to her while they walk into the next room of the haunted house.

 

She’s disoriented from the minute she steps foot in the room. There are several strobe lights flashing at the same speed around the room, making all of her movements seem robotic and almost in slow motion. Emma holds tighter than ever, but she feels the tugging at her onesie hoodie disappear. She’s about to turn around when there’s suddenly a loud noise from in front of her and a loud screech to her right, and Regina looks up to see someone in a Friday the 13th mask carrying a chainsaw, marching towards them. 

 

She’s sure it’s just a fake, but it sounds real enough that she flinches back, taking Emma with her as she falls to the ground, the chainsaw guy moving it closer, hovering over them to the point where it almost touches, and then he pulls it back, running across the room. Emma sits up immediately, using the hand that’s already in Regina’s to help lift her up. 

 

The brunette stops, taking heavy breaths to calm down, while Emma wraps an arm around her waist, her other hand coming to rest softly against her face. “Hey, it’s okay,” she reassures her. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

 

All Regina can do is nod, mesmerised by the way Emma’s lips tilt up and the way her hopeful eyes seem to ground her in the chaotic flashing lights. “I trust you,” she tells the blonde as they help each other to their feet, trying to find their friends or the exit in the small room. 

 

Emma pulls the brunette to her, leaving a soft kiss on her cheek that Regina is almost positive she imagines. Her own hand is still ghosting the space she thinks Emma just kissed, when they’re driven back into an even smaller room, the size of a small closet, by more figures with chainsaws. 

 

“I’m not scared of anything,” Jefferson reassures them as the door closes behind them, leaving them trapped in the tiny room with an even faster strobe light. It all suddenly comes to an end as something pushes them forward through another door into another room, dimly lit with occasional flashes, though not as jarring as the last room.

 

Regina turns to the other girl still gripping her hand, and together the two of them look around. 

 

They’re alone.

 

“Uh, where did everyone else go?” Emma asks.

 

“I don’t know, but we have to stay together, okay?”

 

The blonde nods rapidly in response. “I don’t want to lose you too.”

 

“Okay,” Regina says, almost breathless at the admission from the blonde. “What should we do?”

 

“We just need to make it to the end.”

 

It seems simple enough, but as it turns out, the last section of Zelena’s haunted house is a maze designed as a laboratory. At first, it just looks like a single meagerly lit hallway, but it isn’t long before that hallway turns into another which turns into two, one of which is a dead end. The dead ends seem to triple as they move further in, passing spaces containing bubbling potions; a cackling doctor hovering over someone strapped to a table, fighting to escape; bloody messes from experiments gone wrong; people rattling sets of chains attached to the wall, moaning incoherently. 

 

Nothing is coming after them, but with the way the lights in the maze flicker and the way the fog curls up around their feet, Regina can’t help but huddle closer to Emma. Her heart is pounding in her chest, beating harder and faster than before, and she can feel her apprehension deep in the pit of her stomach. She can’t tell if her hand is sweaty in Emma’s, or if Emma’s is sweaty in hers, but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t plan on letting go anytime soon. 

 

When she glances at Emma, the blonde shivers, despite her cheeks flushing a deep pink, and her grip on Regina’s hand tightens. Their eyes meet for a moment, but Emma’s shift away, looking panicked. 

 

“It’s okay,” Regina finds herself saying, hoping the blonde doesn’t notice the way her voice shakes. She remembers earlier when she had put the onesie hood on, she’d felt safe, at least until there were things running at her that she couldn’t see until they were there, but since there isn’t anything chasing them through the maze…

 

She pulls Emma into a dead end space that’s empty, and she smiles as she drops the blonde’s hand and reaches around to pull the unicorn hood up. Emma’s eyes shine. “It’s kind of like a blanket, you know? When you watch a scary movie and you want to be under a blanket because it makes you feel safer somehow.”

 

Emma smiles at her, her still pink cheeks flushing brighter. “Um, do you like scary movies?” Regina’s breath catches in her throat. “Maybe we could, um—”

 

But the blonde doesn’t get to finish her sentence. Something has suddenly grabbed Regina’s ankle from under the fog, and she interrupted the blonde, first with a scream, and then with a scramble to get away. She manages to shake the hold off, but there isn’t any recovery time for the next occurance. 

 

Two or three monsters suddenly burst from a curtain they didn’t see next to them, causing them both to scramble back and start to run from the space. The lights flicker even more the farther into the maze they get, and the noises in the room increase when they can hear the next group enter behind them, filling the space with chilling shrieks at the contents of the maze. 

 

It all happened too fast to have latched hands again, and all it takes is two wrong turns for Regina to realize she doesn’t know where Emma is.

 

“Emma?” she calls out, but it’s now too loud in the maze to hear much of anything, and she spins around, looking everywhere she can see in the immediate area, but the blonde isn’t anywhere to be found. 

 

She panics.

 

If she thought her heart rate was high before, it’s nothing compared to what it’s at now. She feels a chill down her spine and a heat in her face, and that bundle of nerves in her stomach seems to have gotten worse since losing Emma.

 

It’s then that she remembers norepinephrine and dopamine and the entire reason she even agreed to come to the haunted house — the entire reason she’s feeling the way she is right now.

 

Her panic increases tenfold when it’s not only triggered by the fact that the blonde is  _ missing _ , but also by Regina’s sudden realization that she might actually be  _ in love _ with her, and she’s been taken away by god only knows what, probably blindsided by Regina’s attempt to make her feel safe under the rainbow unicorn hood. 

 

The whole situation makes Regina want to cry, which is saying something because Regina Mills does  _ not _ cry, and even though she’s alone in this haunted house and got Emma kidnapped by monsters, she perseveres, and heads on through the maze, trying not to get lost until she finally makes it to the end. 

 

She goes through a door, hoping it’s the right one and not another trap, and she’s only slightly relieved when the coast is clear and another bored looking college kid gives her a nod. “Congrats. You did it.” 

 

Regina blinks at the girl, not sure where she should go now, considering Emma and all of her friends disappeared inside the house. “Um…”

 

“The party’s out back. Everyone who’s gone through the house is already out there.”

 

It’s not really the answer the brunette was looking for, but it seems like the best she’s going to get, so she heads out of the last door to where the party is. It only takes her a moment to spot a few of her friends hanging out only a few meters away, and even less time to realize Emma isn’t with them. She storms over. “Guys, what the hell? What happened?” 

 

Belle is the first to answer, smirking as she says, “We were  _ hiding _ in the bathroom,” she says with a wink to an oblivious Ruby.

 

“ _ You _ were hiding. I was just trying to get some.” Belle rolls her eyes before standing up on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss against her lips.

 

“Okay… what about the rest of you? Have you seen Emma?” Regina asks, looking at the other three. “And where’s Mulan?”

 

“People disappear in haunted houses all the time,” Tink shrugs. “I was just trying to scare you guys. Actually, I  _ may _ have been one of the volunteer helpers with the house…” 

 

“That would explain the arm with your bracelet,” Kathryn shudders.

 

Tink squeaks with excitement. “I’m so glad you noticed!” There’s a sudden cacophony of shrieks and giggles from behind Regina, and she turns to see the next group exiting the haunted house. Dark eyes scan the group, once then twice, but neither time does she see Emma or a unicorn onesie.

 

Regina turns around to face her friends again, now talking amongst themselves about everything Tink planned behind the scenes. “Where’s Emma?” she asks, more urgently this time.

 

“She’s not with you?” Kathryn asks. “You guys were together the entire time as far as any of us saw. That was the whole point.” 

 

Regina’s eyes widen at that, quickly looking around the group but finds that no one is the least bit surprised by this information. A few of them almost look smug. “What’s going on?”

 

“Don’t freak out,” Kathryn starts, “But we’ve all been setting you both up this whole time. Disappearing like we did. Although some people,” she glares at Tink, “went rogue. I guess Mulan did as well, because I haven’t seen her.” 

 

“And Emma?”

 

The group is silent, and Regina can feel her panic coming back with a vengeance. All their disappearances had been planned, but Emma’s hadn’t. What if something actually happened to her in there? She could still be lost in that maze completely afraid and alone. She turns toward the back door of the house, ready to charge back in and tear the place down until she finds Emma, but she hasn’t so much as taken a step forward when the door opens again, and a frantic blonde in a unicorn onesie walks out. 

 

“Emma!” Regina calls, and immediately the blonde races over to her, nearly falling into her arms. Having the other girl in her arms just feels so  _ right _ , and such a relief after everything, she actually stifles a sob.

 

“Regina,” Emma mumbles into Regina’s shoulder, her arms wrapping tightly around the brunette’s waist. “You’re okay.”

 

“I’m okay?  _ You’re _ okay. I was so worried about you. You were there and then suddenly you weren’t, and I- I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

 

Emma pulls back just enough to meet Regina’s eyes. “I think I got turned around. I ran into that other group and ended up back at the start of the maze, then I had to try and retrace our steps, but those other people were moving really slowly. I hated that I left you in there.”

 

“Hey,” Regina says, brushing a strand of hair from Emma’s face. “It wasn’t your fault. We just got separated. We’re together now though. So it’s okay.” Keeping one hand draped over Emma’s shoulder, the brunette lifts the hood back over Emma’s head like she had earlier in the maze. “You’re safe.”

 

Emma just stands smiling at Regina for a moment, and the next thing she knows, the blonde is pulling her closer, holding her tighter than before. Their lips meet in a clumsy first kiss, but Emma’s lips are soft and warm against hers and the kiss is everything she ever hoped it would be, somehow urgent and patient at the same time. She can feel Emma smile against her lips, and it’s in that moment that Regina knows she could keep kissing Emma forever or pull away just to see that beautiful smile, and as long as the blonde was by her side, she would be content. 

 

She blushes as she pulls away, smiling bigger than she ever remembers being capable of. Keeping Emma’s gaze, she thinks through all the things she could say and all the things she wants to say, but in the end, the only word she says is, “Norepinephrine.”

 

“What?” Emma laughs.

 

Regina opens her mouth like a fish out of water, closing it and opening it again before managing to explain, “It’s kind of like… dopamine but spookier? I mean…” she clears her throat. “Norepinephrine isn’t actually spooky, but when people get spooked, it, uh, triggers the same responses at dopamine. So it’s kind of the love chemical’s twin?”

 

“The love chemical’s twin, huh?” Emma asks, a dopey grin on her face.

 

“I’m explaining it all wrong,” Regina groan at herself. “I’m really bad at psychology, Just forget I said anything.”

 

“It’s okay, Regina. I know what norepinephrine is. I learned about it in AP Psych last year.”

 

“Oh,” the brunette says, suddenly feeling ridiculous about the whole thing, but then Emma leans forward and places a soft, single kiss to her lips. 

 

“You’re cute,” she says. “In general, but also when you babble. You don’t do that a lot do you?”

 

“Only when I’m really nervous,” Regina admits. “I guess I could blame dopamine for that, couldn’t I? Or you.” Emma beams triumphantly. 

 

They kiss once more before before Kathryn’s sudden cheers break them apart. Regina turns around, glaring at her friend. “Oh, sorry,” the blonde says, as if she had only just noticed them. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m  _ ecstatic _ that you both finally got yourselves all figured out, but I was actually cheering because…” she trails off, nodding in the direction just past Emma and Regina.

 

Mulan comes trotting up, green makeup smudged over her face. “Hey guys, how was the haunted house? Did I miss anything exciting?”

 

Tink snorts. “ Well I was gonna say you just missed some making out, but clearly you were doing some of your own…”

 

“What?” Mulan asks, her eyes going wide.

 

“You’ve got a little…” Ruby says, gesturing towards her face. Mulan starts rubbing it off, shooting Regina a few nervous glances. “Unless Wonder Woman is actually the Hulk…”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Belle says, playfully smacking her girlfriend on the arm. “They’re not even from the same Universe. The Hulk is a Marvel character, and anyway, Bruce Banner—” 

 

“You were making out with my sister?” Regina interrupts.

 

Mulan sputters for a moment, clearly not sure if she should be trying to talk her way out of this or steer into the skid, but before she can answer, someone speaks from behind Regina. “You didn’t think you were the only one coming out of this with a girlfriend, did you?”

 

“Girlfriend?” Regina, Emma, and Mulan all echo at once. Zelena smirks before she pulls Mulan flush against her and resumes their make out session. Judging by how into it they both are, it must have been a long time coming.

 

Regina has to admit, she’s proud of her sister, but there are a million things she’d rather be doing than watching her sister stick her tongue down Mulan’s throat. “You want to get out of here?” Regina asks, taking Emma’s hand in hers. 

 

“Sure,” the blonde grins. “What should we do?”

 

“Hmm.” Regina thinks as they start to walk away, their hands swinging between them. “We could keep the celebration going? Make some hot chocolate and watch Halloween movies?”

 

“I thought you didn’t like Halloween,” Emma points out.

 

Regina stops, turning to face Emma and taking both hands in hers. “All night I’ve been thinking about curling up with you under a blanket and watching scary movies, pretending to be scared just so you’ll hold me closer.”

 

“Is that so?” Emma grins.

 

The brunette nods, leaning in for another kiss. “Maybe Halloween isn’t so bad after all.”

 


End file.
